We are so honored to introduce you today to Rachael Hagglund today. There's a quiet magic to the way this artist and nurturer lives. Between raising her children close to the land and creating small drops of handmade clothing from vintage textiles under her project @daughterofthemountain, she finds meaning in the everyday.
To us, Rachael embodies the kind of artistry that doesn’t separate living from creating. In our conversation, we talk about what it means to live close to the earth, how motherhood reshapes creativity and the beauty of finding balance—and losing it—again and again.
We are so excited to finally highlight you on the Journal. We’ve been working together for a year now and find you inspiring in so many ways! Can you please tell our community what you’re up to and who you are?
I’m Rachael, a creative wild heart and mom of boys living outside of Yellowstone in Montana. If you visit us on any given day, you might find us riding horses, foraging in the mountains, river bathing (while my oldest son fly fishes). I feel most connected to myself in nature, so I try to raise our kids with reverence for Mother Earth and an understanding of how humans fit into the greater web of life.
Growing up my father was a woodworker so I always thought about art and life as the same thing. I didn’t think about careers in the traditional sense, but I thought about what I wanted to make in the world and how I wanted to be of service. I’ve studied art, I finished an MFA in poetry writing. When I was a kid, I saw my mom have a homebirth, which left an imprint on me in a really raw way, so when I was in my early twenties I started working as a birth doula. It was beautiful, hard and heartbreaking at times, but I really learned about the power of women. My clients taught me so much about how I wanted to show up as a mother, too– really trusting my inner wisdom and instincts. Maybe I’ll be a midwife once my kids get older, but don’t hold me to it!
Now that we are in Montana away from family, I’ve been mostly a mom. My kids go to a part-time forest and project based school, so we spend a lot of time together. In my free time, I play with fibers and sometimes make small drops of clothing with vintage textiles for local shops (@daughterofthemountain). I don’t have energy to be consistent, so I let it ebb and flow. The medium I work with might change, but no matter what I’m doing, I try to find a way to let beauty come through. I sometimes collaborate with brands for creative content and storytelling, and that’s been another fun way to express myself and play with visuals and different mediums.
If I have a free afternoon, you might find me taking a riding lesson– I grew up jumping and riding English and recently I’ve been learning a style of western riding called reining, which is so much harder than it looks. It’s been fun and humbling to learn something new!
Can you share a moment from your days that feels especially grounding or meaningful?
Sometimes my husband makes coffee and brings it to me in bed and that is a really nice way to wake up. I love smelling the coffee from under the covers!
What do you love most about life in Montana?
You can keep time in the warm months by watching which wildflowers are blooming.
Can you share a bit about your creative process—what inspires you and how your environment shapes what you make?
I’m inspired by light and seasons. By the earth. I’m also really inspired by the moments that make us deeply human and connected to each other. I kind of view life with a certain animism, so everything is alive– mountains, the tall grass, the pieces in your home and closet.
So at home that means we try to have artisan made pieces and shop second-hand so there’s depth and a story. For my clothes it means I’m looking for pieces that carry the energy of intention through the whole process, like MINGA. You can feel it.
As far as my creative process, I don’t really think its different from my life. I try to find moments of beauty everywhere, and they’re there. You just have to look closely.
Has your relationship to creativity changed since becoming a mother?
A lot of women say pregnancy is the ultimate creative act, and I can honestly say when I was pregnant I was too tired to even think. Birth on the other hand, felt wildly creative. You can feel the energy of life pulsing through you. But practically, being a mom has made me learn to do a lot with a little. It’s taught me to change my creative lens from something bigger to finding slow and quiet moments that are filled with that cosmic and raw life force.
How do you nurture connection—with other women, makers, or mothers—in a slower-paced life?
I feel so lucky to live in the community we do– our town is a hub for really creative women and a lot of those women are mothers, so our kids are naturally friends. I am constantly inspired by them, in terms of living in relationship to the land, mothering, and fostering a rich, creative life. I pinch myself once a week that we got this lucky.
It’s not always easy, balancing creativity, motherhood, and real life responsibilities, but I think there’s beauty in losing that balance and finding it over and over again. That’s life.
How has motherhood influenced your sense of style, purpose and creativity?
My younger son Townes has such a cool sense of style; he was born with it. I’m honestly just trying to keep up with him!
How do you carve out space for yourself in the midst of family life? What rituals or routines help you stay connected to your creative flow?
I do yoga or pilates a few times a week. Before I went to elementary school, my family lived on a yoga ashram, so yoga has been a practice I’ve tended to since childhood. We can also walk to the Yellowstone river from our house, so I try to walk alone and stop at my favorite view to just take it all in. The river is so healing, you can feel it in your body.
What are the Minga pieces or materials that you always find yourself drawn to?
I love how every piece of Minga has a clear connection to the land and makers. The pieces feel elemental and honest, – whether it’s the cactus fibers in a bag, soft alpaca knits, or watching the artistry of hatmaking. I have worn my Zoila boater, which was an OG Minga style, on heavy rotation for maybe 6 years now. I also wear the Karina cowboy at least once a week. The pieces feel so lived-in and warmly authentic to me.
How can we keep in touch with you? What’s coming up on your calendar soon that you’re looking forward to?
You can find me @rachaelhagglund. After a wild Montana summer, I’m really looking forward to the winter and a season of slowing down, snow, cozy fires and sledding.
